ron durham

Hi John: Very informative post, thanks. What I was going to bring into this is I was asked by the State folks to define Law Enforcement. I spent quite a bit of time going over all the agencies and at the very end I excluded Rent-a-Cops, Conceal Carry (of course) & Animal Control. A complaint was sent to Hdqs. by an Animal Control person and Hdqs. sided with him but their main premise was there was no definate catagories that were excluded ....... which my understanding is everybody is included. There is no standards basically, it is whatever the Clubs decides to let in. Anyways, that was my findings and am not going to comment on my opinion (Peg won't let me). See you in a couple of weeks. Ron Durham

Hi Sacramento Lawman: On this subject we know what a Senior is, we know what a Lady is, but do we know what qualifies as Law Enforcement? At our State Match in California, I was asked to define Law Enforcement.....such as what Law Enforcement groups qualifies.....like City, County etc. I asked this question because I think you are going to be surprised at some of the groups that Hdqs. says should be allowed to compete. So my question is guys......what do you think? And then I will come back with what I was told. By the way, there is a new division......I guess it is new called Veteran.....that is 65 and older. I am knocking at the door!!!! Let's have some fun with this and John did I do good? Ron Durham

Hi Mark: I agree with you 100%. There has probably been more e-mail requests with headquarters to add a new catagory as you mentioned. I am a good example. I am a solid B shooter in 3 divisions of USPSA. And old and decreped as I am, I make Master easy in SSP and ESP. What is wrong with this picture. I shot against Taren Butler at our State Match. I think you probably know where I ended up. Ha. Ron Durham

Hi Guys: First of all, I would like to say that I am being critical to anybody's methods for SO'ing. I am an SO Instructor and have been doing this for quite a few years. Let me tell you the method that works very well for me. First of all, I am not there to try to let new shooters make mistakes or let gamers get by with it after the buzzer goes off. An SO should have complete knowledge of how most firearms that participate in IDPA matches function and if they don't know them all, they should learn. When my scorekeeper is finishing up scoring, I am preping the next shooter. I check his holster and mag alignment, I eyeball his weapon. When we get to the line, and he loads and makes ready with a single stack, I ask him if he has a seven or eight round mag. At that point, if he doesn't top off, I make him and then I tell him that he could have gotten a procedure for downloading. If he doesn't understand, I explain it to him. I do the same thing with all types of weapons. Don't have enough space to go into all of them. I know my course of fire. I know where he should be reloading. I watch him to make sure he doesn't shoot extra shots to gain slide lock reloads. I always ask my ASO to follow and watch; however, sometimes it like trying to pull a tooth out of an elephant. I understand the comments about only watching the gun. I have to tell you that doesn't work for me. We all have perphical vision.....like driving a car down the road, you see a ball or kid run out from your side, if we didn't have it, there would be a lot of people killed. I feel very confident that I can stay behind the shooter, watch his gun hand and pick up cover violations, dropping rounds and all that good stuff.So my whole point is.....let's try to stop the problem before it starts. Hopefully if you explain to them what could have happened if the SO would have allowed it, would have been a procedural or two or FTDR. Hopefully, the shooter will catch on and get his act together. I know this is a long post but I don't have the best word skills and could have probably made it shorter. Ron Durham

Hi Gabe: Thanks for your reply and this is definately my last post on this subject. I did a little stumbling on explaining myself or how I feel about this subject. On page 2, the last post by me explains pretty well my feelings on this subject. As I said, it is a mind set on stage design. I can easily design a stage that is fun and challenging without starting some poor smow on all fours or in a prone position and that is what I am talking about.....if a person doesn't want to do it and make it as difficult as they can for the older folks, well let's put it this way.....I don't need a rule to tell me if that is right or wrong. I know I reached a few people with my views and that understand we are not talking about changing the stage for a handicapped person or a person with bad legs, we are talking about stage design. I know there are a few out there who could care less kind of like I used to be. Like John said, this could go on forever but we all probably have a little different point of view from each person and that is a good thing. Done for good!!!!! Ron Durham

Hi JDT: No offense taken. You do make some good points. I have been an advocate for the older shooters since about 1995 when I was paralazed from a condition called Gillian Barre Syndrome, 8 yrs. of intense therapy and the love of the sport kept me improving. I have been as low as you can go and almost back to normal. My desire for competing drove me on. The mind set I am trying to get across, at least with me, I design all my own stages, I don't take them out of a book and what I am trying to get across is... you can still have all the kneeling, the prone and all the other good things that comes along with our shooting, drop turners, steel, swingers and so on and have a great stage without starting a guy on all fours or in prone. If you are going to start them in a kneeling, please have something they can push off of to help them get up. If you have that in your mind when you design the stage, it is pretty simple. I know some people are listening and that is good enough reward for me. I think maybe I will shut up about this. Again I am not advocating lowering any standards of the stage. Okay, I think I am finally done......and I love action shooting, I just don't think I could do the NRA or Bianci....come to think of it there is no place around here where I could do it. Finally done, Ron Durham

Hello: I will try to answer each one of your posts in order: GRD, thanks for your posts, you get it. The truth be known most of our members don't like waddling in the mud either. I bet your stages don't suffer any ill effects by not starting somebody in a prone or kneeling position. Thanks for your response. Rufus & JDT: Where did either one of you get that we are talking about people not being able to kneel? We are talking about people getting up from a kneeling position or a prone position. I am talking about alternatives in the start position and have never said that kneeling or prone position shouldn't be used in a scenario.....but at the end of the scenario when possible. I am going to skip over the reference that folks like me should find another sport. You wouldnt' like my response. Oh, GRD, remember in the classifier you don't get up and run after you kneel do you? Just a thought. Ron Durham

Hi Mr. Round Gun Shooter: Well good for you.....bite the bullet and go home with sore knees doesn't bother you? More power to you; however, you are not the only person with bad knees and I prefer not to go home with sore knees. As I said in an earlier post, at least at our Club at least 30-40% of us are at the end of our life cycle.....like getting old. We have extremely good gun handling skills and you shoot with the best of them and are there to compete and we just want a fair break on stage design which is just not that hard. I outlined my views in the last post. Now, I have been to five State matches and not one time did we start on all fours or in a kneeling position. If there were any, it was at the end of the stage. The Club that I belong to let some of the inexperienced stage designers set up a match about a year ago, nothing but run, kneel and run. You would think it was an obstacle course with no rhyme or reason. Guess what? Some of the young fast shooters like MM and SS were top shooters, then you looked at the scores and you could figure out why. I shot 15 down points and was beat by a guy who dropped 50 points and there is where the two physical stage design goes off track. I know that is not what we are talking about here but that is an example of what could happen. I will say it again, there is no way that ole guys can keep up with young guys when it comes to sprinting from A to B, that is a given but don't handicap an ole fella by putting him in a position where they lose 4-5 seconds just trying to get up. Well that is my view. Ron Durham

Hi Ted: Good post on your part. I tend to do the same thing myself as far as designing the stage. I would never start a guy out in the middle of the dirt on all fours. I think I could come up with something a little more unique that would accomodate all folks. Just a little thought in stage design.....for example, put your kneeling or prone at the end of the stage.....always make sure the person has something to grab onto in case he has to pull himself up to move to another position. Just a little thought could make it so much easier for everybody. Now about changing these stage designs in this particular case was done for a reason, we had a banquet and the Match Designer felt changing it would make it go much faster. We have a committee that goes thru each stage after designers have set them up and changing it for safety issues and other concerns are not unusual. I back it 100%. Understand some of the stage designers are brand new at this and changes are necessary. The SO's are there when the changes are made, this eliminates problems with the stage design. I just can't buy the attitude that the ole farts can't cut it ..... just give them a procedural. Man, is winning that important to some folks? How about good stage design so that we are on halfway equal basis. Well that is my two cents. Some of you guys probably think I should join AARP....that is a thought maybe I could get them to sponsor me. Ha. Ron Durham

Hi Sac Lawman: You know I luv ya dearly but how in the world can you be upset about changing that stage? It didn't hurt one thing, it went fast like it was supposed to, you know we had a banquet to go to. You know about a third of our shooters are seniors and porkers with bad legs. By being able to stand, it put us on a fairly even keel and everybody had a good time. This real life scenario stuff that I am getting so sick of hearing is B.S. We are supposed to be there having fun, enjoying each other's company and competing on a fairly even basis.......so you want to start some guy out on all fours, hell in my case I have to put the gun down to push up so I can stand up. I think you really need to rethink your position......you know time is clicking for all of you and I agree with Mark's last post.....maybe some of you need to read it sometime. Well I guess you can say you struck a nerve. Remember, us ole guys pay to shoot just like you younger guys. This is not military shooting, self-defense......remember. Supposedly short quick stages, not a foot race. Ron Durham

Hi Phil S. Thanks for saying what I wanted to. I double the unbelievable. I would like to say more but I think I will leave it at that. You know in our Club, the gentleman would certainly be able to continue the match and I think I would just ask him to have it repaired for the next match......just like we do when guys show up with illegal equipment such as mag pouches and so on.....we just tell them to have the right stuff for the next match. Thanks for your post. Ron Durham

Hi Mark: Sorry to take so long to get back to you to answer your post. Spent 15 hours at the hospital Saturday and am now a Great Grampa. WOW. Haley Lynn come bouncing in at 9 lb. 7 oz. This kid looks like a football player already. Oops, she is a girl......maybe baseball player. To your post.....I was a little pushy trying to get somebody to show me where I am going wrong on my views of a different type of classifier. Of course, none of this really matters because HQ is not going to change it anyway. I think a lot of us just flap our jaws out of frustration. Let me make a couple of more points then I will shutup forever on this subject. First of all, as our discussion about complainers, I am with you. The hair sticks up on the back of my neck when I hear bashing of IDPA. Let's face it if you look hard enough you can find something wrong with just about anything however petty. What I am talking about is folks that are good representatives of IDPA and donate a lot of time to it and see things that they are not happy with should be able to bring it up on a site, discuss it without being told to go somewhere else. Change or improvement can be a good thing. I know I sure like the fuel injection on my cars, I like the fact that I can go 50,000 to 100,00 without a tune-up. I can fill a page with examples. How about this one, when USPSA saw that they were getting clobbered by IDPA, they got busy and got production and L10 classes. To me that was a good thing. Okay enough of that. Let me give you another example and then I am done. At our Regional Match May 2nd, I think the same day as your state match, we had a shooter Sharpshooter SSP who shot 111.63. He was first in his class. Now get this....the SSP Expert who is known as a good Expert shot 112.26. The Sharpshooter thank goodness had 10 in his class so he was automatically bumped up to Expert. Not only did he win his class he also beat the Expert #1 shooter. So let's say there was only 9 in the class, he doesn't get bumped up does he? In my view, wrong, wrong, wrong. So we are talking about chance or luck instead of him being boosted up on his skills, his lucky day being only 9 shooters. I hope I am making my point. Mark, I have got to say that you are one of the guys and a few others like Bubba and Larry 1911 that I listen to. You guys are perfect gentlemen, easy to understand replys and I want you to know that you have helped me over the last year or so and I appreciate it. Thanks, Ron Durham

Mark I gave some long and lengthy criticisms of what I think is wrong with the classifier and so on. You gave me one liners that don't address anything in my post? To answer your question, I shot at USPSA two to three weeks a month for 12 years. I never saw anybody tank a classifier that I shot with. Every single one of us were trying to move up. Maybe your experiences are different. As far as IDPA HDQ. trusting us to do a classifier or a sensible classification system is what I was referring to, not that one Club would do it their own way.....and you are at a loss why a lot of us get sick and tired of the radical IDPA group constantly referring to "If you don't like it, move on to a different shooting sport?" What is so hard to understand about that one?please go over 2 3 4 again Ron Durham

My Response: First of all, the large Club that I am referring to, I am only a member and I was sort of stretching the truth trying to make a point. They had a classifier a month ago and it took 2 days. Frankly I think most of the folks at that Club are fed up with the classifier.....like you guys in Arizona who have some extremely hot days. It is plenty enough work getting to the range at 6 in the morning, setting up five stages and at the end of the day nobody wants to set up classifiers. Maybe the rulebook should state each Club has to do four a year instead of one. Now, let me give you a hypothetical......let's say we have five new shooters and they shoot for the first time....and every single one of those guys shoot novice scores, why not just put them in novice? Of course you are going to say since this is their first time shooting, they are nervous and they are not going to shoot to their ability, same goes for the classifier? Okay, if you guys don't mind respond to #2.3.4.5 & 6. Ron Durham

Hi Mr. Joe D: You are right on the money as usual. This is going to be a long post.....I finally feel free to say what I think. I resigned my position as Area Coordinator as of yesterday. My biggest problem with IDPA (with a lot of small problems) is the classifier. I just couldn't enforce a rule I didn't believe in, that being the classifier. 1. First of all, we have a very large Club in my region that has on an average of 5-10 new shooters a month, so HDQ tells me they have to stay in unclassified until we have a classifier. WOW, that could be 50 shooters unclassified. They can't participate in a class until they shoot the classifier which could be 11 months. What is wrong with this picture? 2. A wise sandbagger can stay in let's say Sharpshooter as long as he doesn't shoot the classifier and move up, right? And he is shooting well into Expert and seems he is always absent when we have a classifier and even if he shot it, he could tank it. So, is that fair to the guys that are in his class? Again, what is wrong with this picture? Some of you seem to think......so what on a Club level? Well, if you think about it, probably 95% of the shooting is done on a Club level. 3. The idea that "Well we will catch the guy on a sanctioned match".....first of all, he has to have 10 in his class which if you will look at the scoresheets on a lot of the matches there is usually only one or two divisions and/or classes that have 10 per. And this is the way we are going to catch move up sandbaggers? Give me a break. 4. The IDPA classifier is perfect for people with no honor. And why should the people with no honor screw over the guys who have honor? 5. There is only one way to get a true classification of a shooter's ability is in the competition arena. Heaven forbid.....like USPSA. Is it perfect? No. But if you shoot enough classifiers, it always works out. I am classified B in three different divisions. It worked out. 6. Most everybody that I know that has been into the shooting sport for a good many years will tell you or at least tell me that the classifier is completely backward from it should be. I am a good example.....I am a Master shooter on the classifier with certain disabilities and old age, I move too slow. I usually finish with the Experts because the classifier has virtually no movement. Same is true with the opposite, the guys that can scream thru the stages with poor accuracy the classifier doesn't catch that one either. 7. Now, last but not least.....you guys out there that are constantly recommending that folks that maybe somewhat critical of IDPA.....would you put a sock in it? I am tired of hearing if you don't like it, go shoot USPSA. I pay my dues, I have donated 7 years to IDPA ......I am an SO Instructor, Area Coordinator as of until yesterday, I loved every bit of it so I don't need to hear your nonsense about moving to a different sport. One more thing, if IDPA trusts us enough to set up a Club, help new shooters get started, set up scenarios that could be dangerous, run monthly matches and so on but not allow us to do our own classification system that works seems kind of strange to me. That is my opinion and I am sticking to it. Ron Durham